Knife sharpener



H. R. RANSOM KNIFE SHARPENER May 2, 1950 Filed May :51, 1946 IN V EN TOR.

fld/ZZWJ Ii 74/750 Patented May 2, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to sharpening devices,

and more particularly, relates to a sharpener for knife blades or other straight-edge tools which is of novel and improved design. In. certain respects the invention constitutes an improvement over that embodied in my Patent No. 2,038,445.

It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a knife sharpener of novel and improved design which may be safely used by those having little or no experience in sharpening knives or straight-edge tools to easily and quickly sharpen such instruments.

The present invention further contemplates a sharpening device of the character described which may be used to thus sharpen a knife with out damaging the original bright finish of the blade.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a sharpener construction which may be used for sharpening blades of scissors.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the description which follows when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals indicate like parts wherever shown and Wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a knife sharpener embodying improvements of the present invention, illustrating the use of the same for sharpen.- ing a knife blade;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 2-2 of 1, illustrating one of the sharpening elements disposed in a trough-like depression in the mounting portion of the sharpener and the bottom Surface of such depression continued to form a forwardly directed tab;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1, illustrating another sharpening element in another trough-like depression provided in the mounting portion of the sharpener and showing the slot in the lower surface of such trough in which the mounting bolt for securing such sharpening element is adapted to slidably move;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1, illustrating the U-shaped formation of the handle of the sharpener;

Fig. 5 is a section taken substantially on line 5-5 of Fig. 1, illustrating the relative depth of the troughs adapted to receive the sharpening elements and the overlying relationship of one end of one of said sharpening elements with respect to an end of the other such element;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the sharpening 2 device illustrated in Fig. 1 used to sharpen a blade of a scissors.

According to the present invention a pair of sharpening elements arranged in the form of a V, open at the top, are secured to a mounting portion of the frame of the sharpening device and receive the blade of a knife therebetween. A handle is provided integral with this mounting portion and means are also provided on such frame to serve as a standard whereby the sharpener may be positioned on a table top and held thereagainst when the handle is grasped, allowing the user thereof to insert the knife blade and sharpen the same quickly and easily without injury to the user or damage to the blade finish.

The sharpener of this invention may also be used with the handle thereof in substantially upright position, positioned in such manner that an exposed portion of the side of one of the sharpening elements is available for sharpening the blades of scissors.

In order to more fully describe the sharpener of this invention, reference is made to the figures, and particularly to Fig. l, in which a frame having a mounting portion Ill is shown. At the right of this mounting portion a U-shaped handle portion l2 is formed integral therewith. On the forward end of the mounting portion it, which is at the left as viewed in Fig. l, a wing It, shown best in Fig. 3, is turned rearwardly with respect to the face thereof. Also, at the right of the mounting section, a wing 56, which is ecu-extensive with one of the sides of the U-shaped handle I2, is turned rearwardly with respect to the face of mounting portion It].

In order to mount the sharpening elements It; and 20, the forward face of the mounting portion I0 is provided with the trough-like depressions 22 and 24, in the form of a V, open at the top. To provide rigidity for the structure at this point, such depressions are reinforced as indicated at 26 and 28, respectively. These depressions or troughs 22 and 2 have different depths, as may best be seen in Fig. 5, and shallow trough 22 terminates at the closed end of the V thus formed, by merging into one side of the deeper trough 24. Elements l8 and 29 preferably are generally rectangular in form so that they seat solidly in and are retained by the depressions 22 and 24 and they conveniently can be made of hardened steel or the like.

It will be observed, that when sharpening elements l8 and 20 are disposed within their respective troughs, one end of sharpening element 18 extends in overlying relationship to an end of sharpening element 20. Thus, in this manner, when the sharpening element I8 is secured within trough '22 by means of bolt 30 and nut 32, such sharpening element serves to retain the sharpening element 20 in trough 24.

To provide for shifting of the sharpening elements when the same become Worn, bolt 30 is slidably positioned within a slot 34 provided in the bottom surfaceof trough 22. Obviously, upon looseningnut'32, sharpening element i8 becomes free to move to the extent permitted by such slot 34, and sharpening element 20 will be free to move in trough 24, so that such sharpeningelements may be shifted when the same becomes dull through use. However, it is pointed out, thatthe angularity between the sharpeningelements remains constant inasmuch as the same are constantly held within their respective troughs and hence the angle between the same cannot be varied, although such elements may be. shifted. It is further pointed out that should the entire lengths of these sharpening elements become dull on one edge, the sameare so designed and constructed. thatv they may be turned over to use the other edge.

The previously described Wings M and 16 form, ineffect, tWo side walls of a triangular standard by means of which the sharpener of this inventionmay be supported on atabletop or other fiat surface. To provide a third supporting ele ment of such. standard, the bottomsurface of the deep trough 24 is continued and permitted to, extend forwardly forming a tab 35. From Figs. 2 and 3, it will be appreciated that the lower surfaceof this tab 36 lies in the plane of the lower edges of Wings I4 and It, and that the forward face of mounting portion i8 is angularly inclined with respect to such plane. Consequently, by grasping the handle the sharpener may be supported rigidly and positively with the face thereof inclined at an angle with respect to a table top or other surface by means of such standard. The angle at which the face of the sharpener is thus disposed, may be any angle which brings the forward faces of the edges of the sharpening elements It} and 2B into position to contact the blade of a knife or other straightedgetool without permittingsuch blade to contact the bottom of the V formedby said sharpening elements.

With the sharpener supported on a table top or other flat surfacev in the manner described in thefercgoing, the blade of a knifeindicated at 38 may be placed between such sharpening elements iil andleand-said blade drawn from the handle of the knife to the point thereof for sharpening the same. It may be appreciated now thatnormally the user will grasp handle l2 with the left hand and then draw the knife 38 in the direction indicated by the arrow on the knife blade in Fig. 1. Thus, each hand of the user is well awayv from danger and the varying width of the V space between the edges of the sharpening. elements issufficient toprevent injury to the polishedsides of a knife blade.

For sharpening blades of scissors, thesharpener may be mounted on a table or other fiat surface in, the position shown in Fig. 6, using the outer surface of wing I t as a standard therefor. A notch 40 is formed in one side of trough 24, beside .the handle 12 exposing anedge of thesharpening element 20. A blade 42 of the scissors inserted. in this notch and held against the t n nt si e ed the nd -2; s eas es with the side of the sharpening element 20 and drawn from the heel to the point thereof to sharpen the same. During the drawing or sharpening operation, the handle positions and guides the blade for proper engagement with the sharpening element.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that with a sharpener embodying the improvements of the present invention it is possible to quickly and easily sharpen a knife. or straight-edge toolwithout injury to the user and without in any way marring the finish on the sides of the blade.

It. will be clear from the foregoing description that the sharpener shown in the drawings and described above has been illustrated and described in ratherspecific detail. Obviously, many modifications, changes, and departures from the above described construction may be made without departing from the generic spirit and scope of the invention as setv forth in the subjoined claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A sharpener including, in combination, means comprising a mounting portion, a handle integral therewith, a forwardly directed tab and rearwardly directed wings on said mounting portion, one of said wingsextendi-ngsubstantially at right angles to said handle and the lower surface of said tab located in the plane of the lower edges of the wings, said tab and wings forming a standard to support the sharpener onev fiat surface with the face thereofinclined with respect thereto when thehandleis grasped; sharpening elements on said mounting portion arranged to form an open V for receiving the blade of a straight-edge tool therebetween; and a notch in said mounting portion adjacent said handle, said notch extending behind an. edge of one of said sharpening elements and'located to-be readilyaccessible when the sharpener is supported solely on said-right-angularly extending wing.

2. A sharpener including, in combination, means comprising a mounting portion having trough-like depressions formed therein in the shape of a V open at the top with one of said depressions being deeper than the other and having the bottom surface thereof continued to form an outwardly directed tab, a handle integral with themounting portion, rearwardly directed Wings formed on the mounting portion with the bottom surface of said'tab located in the plane of the lower edges ,of, the wings, said tab and wings serving as a standard for supporting the sharpener, on a flat/surface when the handle is grasped; and sharpening elements disposed in said depressions with an end of one elementin. overlying relationship to an end of theother. element.

3. A sharpener including, inv combination, means comprising a mounting portion having trough-like depressions formed therein; in the shape of a V open at. thetop with one of said depressions being .less deep than the other and terminating at one .side of the deeper depression, the bottom surface. of said deeperdepressiqn being continued toforman outwardly directed tab, a handle integral with said mounting por-tion, rearwardly directedwings formed on said; mounting portion with oneof said; wings coextensive with the side of said handle, the bottom-surface of said tab being in theplane of the loweredgesof-said wings, said tab and wings forming a standard adapted o u e -b s sharpener; a; st e face withthe face thereof inclinedwithgrespect to said surface when the handle is grasped; and a.

5 sharpening element shiftably disposed in each Number depression. 1,016,615 HARLAND R. RANSOM. 1,142,030 1,462,080 REFERENCES CITED 1,468,611 The following references are of record in the 1,719,345 file of this patent: 2,038,445

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 10 Number 455,917 Blood July 14, 1891 375,497

Name Date Dow et a1 Feb. 6, 1912 Dow et a1 -0"--- June 8, 1915 Bohlin July 17, 1923 Trigwell Sept. 18, 1923 Teitel July 2, 1929 Ransom Apr. 21, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain June 30, 1932 

